MissWooGoo’s Paper Beads

Posted on May 26, 2010 in Other Crafts & Crafty People | 11 comments

Every now and then, I would like to share with you fellow paper bead enthusiasts that I met through Etsy – the place for all things hand made just in case you haven’t heard of etsy yet 🙂  Shelly Rhodes aka MissWooGoo.  Her etsy shop is full of really nice paper beads each one of them is Shelly’s creations.  She shares with us, how she got hooked on making paper beads like so many of us, and how she makes them!  I especially like the Pepsi Paper Beads made out of pepsi cartons.

pepsi

Shelly gives credit to her mom in her discovering paper beads, in her own words:

“My mom mentioned to me that she had seen a receptionist wearing a necklace that looked like really pretty stones she had never seen before. When asked, the receptionist said that her necklace was made of paper beads. I thought “Wow, that would be neat to do!” and the rest is history!”

purple

“My work area is simply a small kitchen table that I use to cut out, roll, and glue the beads. I mainly concentrate on inch and ½ inch beads, although I am going to give ¼ inch beads a go I think. I use toothpicks to roll the beads, although the bead rollers do intrigue me, and one may very well be in my future! The glue I use is simply Elmer’s regular glue, not the school glue. This holds really well for me, is inexpensive, and gives good results. Almost all of my beads are made from upcycled magazine pages. I am lucky in that the local library generally has a really good selection of the better magazines (I like the thickness of the paper better than the cheaper magazines) that they give away for free in the foyer. So by the time the bead reaches the customer, it has been reused twice. Once by the reader of the magazine, and once by myself using it to make beads. It makes me feel good to know that I am supporting a craft that is kind to the earth, as well as beautiful to look at.”  Amen to that!

work surface with work supplies

Shelly is so right!  Investment is minimal and it provides hours of enjoyment!

work surface with finished beads

“I coat all of my beads in two layers of polyacrylic varnish. I use polyacrylic because I have to do the coating inside (one of the bad points of living in apartments) and with polyacrylic there are no odors to deal with, so ventilation is not a problem. I string all the beads, and generally dip 6 strings at a time and let them drip dry. I have found that if I make sure the first layer of varnish is completely dry before I dip it a second time, I have better luck with coverage and also with the holes not clogging up.”

red

“After the beads are dried, they are sorted by color and each one is checked to make sure that the bead hole is open and able to be strung. Then I count each set, take pictures, and bag them up. Then they just wait for someone to pick them from the line-up I have on Etsy. I have had fairly good luck selling my beads on this site, and would recommend it to anyone hoping to at least break even with their craft costs!”

orange and white

“I love making paper beads. It’s a time when I can turn on the radio, tune out the world, and make an original creation with each bead I roll. It’s an inexpensive craft, and is perfect for someone who has limited space, since the supplies do not take up a lot of room, and the finished product can easily be stored in zippy bags.”

I have recently begun to make hand painted beads on upcycled office paper, so it will be interesting to see how that progresses for me. The possibilities with this type of bead as far as color and design is virtually endless, and that excites me even more!

hand painted patriotic beads

Patriotic Red, White and Blue Paper Beads

green

Green Hand Made Paper Beads

To see more of Shelly’s work and get inspired by her beautiful paper beads, head on to her blog:

www.misswoogoo.blogspot.com

11 Comments

  1. no, I just let them dry to the touch, and then seperate them. They stick a little, but not so much that it affects the ends or makes them too hard to get off of the string. It really does work.. try it!

  2. Beautiful beads!!!!!!!! When you dip them and hang to dry how do you keep the ends from not sticking together do you knot after each bead?

  3. Fantastic! I am just now discovering paper beads and I am so excited I can’t stand myself. I love information, i.e., Pepsi carton, on items to use to make the beads.

  4. I string them on fishing line, dip them, and then hang them to dry. Once they are dry to the touch, I remove them and allow them to cure overnight. Then I check each bead to make sure the hole is completely open. I use a large needle.

  5. I am intrigued by the varnish finish. How do you dip them and not have them stick to each other? I have been coating them one by one and it is a little time consuming.

    Beautiful colors!

  6. WOW Shelly, your paper beads are AMAZING :)I love the color of the blue ones, they are so vibrant, its great!

  7. Pepsi cartons! i have cartons here i want to try and see how they will come out thanks for the inspiration. By the way your beads are of course very pretty!

  8. i love the blue ones the most but they are all gorgeous, Miss Rhodes,
    you nust be very patient to make all these beautiful beads, i wish i have your hands! thanks for sharing

  9. so pretty – and who would have thought of Pepsi cartons??

  10. Thanks for the compliment! Yes, the pink and blue beads do have a really high shine to them! Thanks for the encouraging words!

  11. Nice job Shelly! I especially like the blue and pink colored ones they have such a nice shine to them. Keep up the good work!